Over the last 20 years, many schools have shifted away from fairly unregulated student dress codes to more stringent dress codes, with some schools implementing voluntary or mandatory school uniforms. There are several positions on the dress code issue, each of which have their own persuasive arguments to support them, which can be evaluated to examine their validity. One position in favor of implementing dress codes is that these standards can improve student safety and perhaps even student performance at school. There are variations on this position that favor strict standards on what students can wear, while others want to implement school uniforms in public schools. The opposing view is that students should not be subject to any dress codes on the grounds that they restrict students' freedom of expression, and that they may place unfair cost burdens on poor families. Each of these arguments is examined to show their evidence and to decide whether student dress codes are a reasonable way to improve public schools. …show more content…
There are three major positions on this issue. The first position is that student dress codes are necessary to produce a safe and productive environment for students, which will facilitate high achievement. The second position goes even farther, and says that dress codes should mandate uniforms for all students, claiming that the uniforms will make students focus more while removing concerns about fashion differences that would otherwise harm their self-esteem. Last, there is the position that school uniforms are unnecessary, and that they pose an unfair cost burden to families and restrict students' constitutional rights to free expression. Each side has some evidence in its favor, but ultimately the lack of hard statistics on costs and grading effects from dress codes make it apparent that more research is necessary to figure out what position has the best support for